Switch



- SWITCH.

AFF'LIC`I'IONy FILED FEB. 4. 1918- y mma June 14, 1921.

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m M h1 E L M 7 7. f 6 --17/ I: l .Ida-.ll x. c |1JH||I 1 l l @lim Z 3,/4./ u n n n u u u U n 9 u 8/ n u \u a n JOSEPH N. MAHONEY, 0FWLKENSB'URG, AND GEORGE L. CHRISTMAN,

VALE, PENNSYLVANA, ASSEGNOBS T0 WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC AND FACTURINGCOMPANY, A CRATION OF ENNSYLVANA.

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or swiss- MANU- SWITCH.

speciacation of Letters Patent. Patented June 14, 1921 Application filedFebruary 4, 1918. Serial No. 215,391.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that we, Josnri N. MAHoNnY, acitizen of the United States, and aresident of Wilkinsburg, in thecounty of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, and GEORGE L. CHnIs'rMAN,a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Swissvale, in thecounty of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new anduseful Improvement in Switches, of which the following is aspecification;

Our invention relates to switches, and particularly to reinforcing andshock-absorbing means `for knife-blade switches.

One object of our invention is to provide a singlel attachment for thejaw members of a knife-blade switch that shall reinforce the jaw membersand absorb the shock incident to closing the switch before theknifeblade member engages the jaw members.

A further object of our invention is to provide a device, of theabove-indicated character, that shall be readily adaptable toknife-blade switches of standard types andV that shall be simple andinexpensive to construct.

In carrying out vour invention, we pro-- vide resilient members that aredisposed adjacent the jaw members for so forcing thel jaw members towardeach other as to insure effective engagement, and having curved endportions that extend beyond the ends of the jaw members and across aportion of the opening therebetween to receive the impact of theknife-blade member and thus relieve the aw members from the shockincident to closing the switch.

Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings is a side elevational view of aknife-blade switch embodying our invention; and Fig. 2'is a frontelevational view of a portion of the switch shown in Fig. 1.

A knife-blade switch 1 comprises, in general, a supporting base 2, jawmembers 3 and 4, a pivot-supporting member 5, a knifeblade member 6 andreinforcing and shockabsorbing means 7. The members 3, t and 5 areprovided with threaded end portions l8 that extend through thesupporting base 2 and are secured thereto by nuts 9.

The reinforcing means 7 comprises resilient members 10 and 11 that areof such shape as to bear, at two points 12 and 13, against the sides ofthe jaw members and to have A bolt 15 extends through the members 10-and 11 and the jaw members for coperating with' nuts 16 tosecure themembers 1() and 11 in such engagement with the jaw members that the jawmembers are forced toward. each other.

When the knife-blade member 6 is moved to circuit-closing position, itengages the curved portions 14 of the members 10 and 11 which absorb theshock ofthe closing operation and are forced apart to remove thepressure upon the jaw members, at the points 12, sufficiently to permitthe knife-blade member to engage the aw members. After the knife-blademember has passed the curved portions 14 of the members 10 and 11, thelatter press the jaw members into intimate engagement with theknife-blade member.

The members 10 and 11 are of suchsimple construction that they may be.readily applied to knife-blade switches of standard types by the simpleoperation of clamping the same thereto by means of a bolt 15 and nuts16.

Our invention is not limited to the specific structure illustrated, asit may be variously modified without departing from the spirit and scopeof the invention, as set forth in the appended claims.

We claim as our invention:

1. ln a knife-blade switch, the combination with stationary j awmembers, of means for reinforcing the j aw members and for receiving theshock, incident to closing the switch, before the switch is closed.

2. ln a knife-blade switch, the combinay tion with a knife-blade memberand stationary jaw members, of means for effecting intimate engagementof the knife-blade and jaw members and for receiving the shock, of theclosing operation of the knife-blade member, before the switch isclosed.

3. In a knife-blade switch, the combination with a knife-blade memberand stationary jaw members, of means for forcing the jaw members towardeach other and for absorbing the closing shock of the knife-blade memberbefore the switch is closed.

`j aw members for forcing the jaw members together and having endportions that er;- teiid beyond the Jaw members and across a portionoi'l the opening therebetween.

o. The combination witii two stationary resilient Jaw members orresilient members disposed adgacent the sides of the ]aw members ioiiorcing the Same toward each other andl having curved end portionsextending beyond the ends of the jaw members.

7. 'imho combination with a lrniieblade member and coperating jawmembers therefor, o'r resilient members disposed adjacent the jawmembers and extending beyond the ends thereof, and means Jfor securingthe resilient members in such position that they force the jaw membersinto intimate engagement witli the knife-blade member and absoib theclosing shock of the knife-blade member.

8. ln a switch7 the combination with relatively movable contact members,of means for biasing said members together in the closed position or theswitch, and for rendering said biasing means ineffective during theoperation ot the switch.

9. ln a switch, the combination with relatively-movable coperatingcontact members, of means for momentarily arresting one of said membersin its movement toward the other to prevent its violent engagementtherewith and biasing said members together after they are engaged.

l0. lin a switch7 the combination with relatively movable contactmembers, of means for biasing said members together in the closedposition of the switch and for rendering said biasing means ineffectiveduring the closing operation oi"- the switch.

n testimony whereof, we have hereunto subscribed our names this th dayof Jan., 1918.

JOSEPH N. MAHNEY.

GEORGE L. CHRISTMAN.

